Heat-treating apparatus



y 23, 1929 A. VUILLEUMIER 1,715,317

HEAT TREATING APPARATUS Filed May 7, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet l A Fig.1.

62 v 2 Fig.2.

64/4,; %m H/SA TTURNEX May 28, 1929. A. VUILLEUMIER HEAT TREATING APPARATUS Filed May 7, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I9 t" 10 1 I -I/ /-//5 Afrmv/v Patented May 28, 1929.

UNITED STATES PATENT, OFFICE-.6

ALBERT 'VUILLEUMIER, OF BRISTOL, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE NEW DE- PARTURE MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF BRISTOL, CONNECTICUT, A COIRIPORA- TION OF CONNECTICUT.

HEAT-TREATING APPARATUS.

Application filed May 7, 1927. Serial No. 189,616.

This invention-relates to heat treating apparatus and comprises all the features of novelty herein disclosed, by way of example, in connection with a furnace for hardening articles such as steel balls.

An object of the invention is to provide an improved hardening apparatus which will effect uniformity of heat-treatment for all articles treated. Another object is to provide an improved apparatus for handling articles for heat treatment and for economizing labor and heat.

To these ends and also to improve gener-Q the invention consists in the various matters hereinafter described and claimed.

The invention, in its broader aspects, is not necessarily limited to the specific features selected for mere illustrative purposes in the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section of a furnace.

Figure 2 is a transverse section, the right half of 'the figure being sectioned on line left half of the figure being sectioned on line BB of Figure 1. v

Figure 3 is a section on line CC of Figure 4, showing furnace tilting mechanism and quenching apparatus.

Figure 4 is an end view of furnace tilting mechanism, the quenching apparatus being omitted.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional view of certain parts of Fig. 1.

The numeral 2 indicates a furnace enclosed on all sides by steel plates and braced by angle irons 4 at the corners. Resting on the floor vplates is an insulated, heat proof structure having a central heating chamber 6 for an article container and mixer, herein shown as a tumbling barrel or retort 8 which contains the articles, such as steel balls, to be heat treated. The barrel is internally provided with inclined ribs or vanes 10 which mix the articles. The barrel has a contracted mouth 12 and is inclined when in heating position to retain the articles by gravity. The exterior of the small end of the barrel has a circular rail or track 14 resting on a pair. of spaced supporting rollers 16. Each roller has trunnions 18 seated in inclined bearing notches in U-sha-p'ed blocks 20 having lateral a sprocket wheel 38. The sleeve 36 is rotat- A-A with loading chute omitted, and the bracket 54 on the end of the furnace. The

projections fitting in slots cut in vertical webs of an inverted channel iron 22. Beyond he closed end of the barrel is an integral flange or extension 24 resting on spaced rollers 26 supported in a manner similar to the rollers l6. The flange 24 is braced by spokes or webs 28 which radiate from a hub 30 on the closed end of the barrel. A driving sleeve 32 having projecting driving lugs 34 extending between the spokes oiwebs 28 is con ncctcd to and driven by a sleeve 36 carrying ably supported and held fromendwise movement by ball bearings 40. The inner race ring of this ball bearing is held against a shoulder on the sleeve 36 by a nut 42- and the outer race ring is clamped against a shoulder in a housing 44 by a cap 46. The spokes or webs 28 are held in driving relation to the lugs 34 by a headed rod 48 extending through the hub 30 and the sleeves 32 and 36 and pressed outwardly by a coil spring 50 interposed between the hub of the sprocket wheel 38 and nuts 52011 the end of the rod. The headed rod and. the sleeves hold the tumbling barrel or mixer from axial movement. The clearance between the rod and the driving .sleeve 32 and the independent supports of the mixerand the sleeve allow the mixer to expand without impairing the driving connection. The housing 44 is supported by a tube 32 is surrounded by heat insulating material 55. The sprocket wheel 38 is driven by a chain 56 from a sprocket wheel 58 on a shaft 60 driven by worm gearing in a casing 62. The worm gearing is driven'by an electric motor 64 supported with the casing 62 on the top of the furnace. The barrel is rotated slowly and continuously even when dumping its load. The barrel or mixer is of smaller size than the heating chamber and is spaced from all of the walls thereof to allow access of heat to the sides and ends of the mixer. The chamber is entirely closed, the driving sleeve 32 being of such small diameter that it will carry away little heat by conduction and it is not subject to much expansion and contraction due to variations in temperature in use and so it substantially fills its opening in the end wall. The opposite end of the'mixer is always open to access of heat; the inclination and contracted mouth retaining the articles withoutrequiring a cover.

Opposite the open end of the barrel is a door 66 having a frame lined with heat 'insulating and refractory material 67. 'A central opening in the dooradmits a loading chute 68 whichextends into the open end of the barrel at a point above the bottom of the opening to leave a'discharge space when the furnace is tipped for dumping. Thechute and the axis of the barrel or mixer are both inclined to the horizontal when the furnace is in normal positiorf. The chute is closed by a removable plug 70 lined with heat insulating material and having a wedging surface ongaged'by a locking lever 72pivoted on' the door and swingable up and down across the plug within the bend of a handle 74. In the chamber 6 and supported by ledges 76 and 78 formed by projecting bricks, are electric'heating elements, herein shown asof the T -grid type, extending back and forth in horizontal and vertical series of courses 80 and 82. Extending through the top of the furnace is a draft tube 84 which can be opened when desired to let in air for cleaning purposes.

-When the furnace is tipped to discharge its load from the'barrel, the'load drops through oval chute sections 86 and 88 set in heat insulating material 89 and leading down through the bottom of the furnace to a discharge chute section 90. The discharge chute 9O enters a round perforated tube 92 and dips below the surface of quenching liquid in a deep, recs tangular tank 94 which surrounds the tube 92. Thus the charge is always wholly shielded from the atmosphere; the. heating means is wholly-independent of the tumbling barrel; only the work holding barrel rotates and the work requires no traversing feed movement but is nevertheless thoroughly mixed by the vanes or ribs to insure uniformity of heat treatment. The lower end of tube 92 has a contracted mouth 96 to deliverquenched articles into buckets. (not shown) of any suit able conveyor operated in the tank below a series of tubes 92 which receive charges from a plurality of furnaces simultaneously.

The furnace 12 normally occupies the lower inclined position indicated by dash lines in Flgure 3 butcan be tipped to the broken line POSlt-IOIL. Brackets 100, attached to the sides 7 of the furnace, support it on a pivot shaft 102 which is journalled in brackets 104 attached to an open frame 106 conveniently made by opposite channelirons 108 connected at the corners by angle plates 110. The frame rests on pedestals 112 at the sides of the tank 94 and the tube 92 is made large enough to allowthe movement of the furnace and chute 90 from the loading and operating'position to the dischargeposition. Links 114 are pivotally connected to brackets 116 on the furnace by a shaft'118. The links are also pivotally connected by pins 120 to gears 122 on a cross shaft 124 journalled in brackets 126 on a frame'composed of connected I- beams 128 resting on risers or sills 130 on the floor 132. The gears are driven by pinions 134 on'across 'shaft'136 journalled in the brackets 126 and driven by worm gearing in a casing 138 resting on a channeliron frame removing and relocking the plug 7 0 after reloading the barrel, again startsthe timing mechanism for a new cycle. Coupling the ,1

locking leverto the switch helps to insure charging of the furnace before starting the cycle. he heating chamber is surrounded by fire brick 150 outside of which are one or more courses of heat insulating brick 152.

The outermostcourses 154 maybe a cheaper grade of brick.

' I claim: q 1. In heat treating ap aratus, a furnace having a closed heating c amber, an article holding mixer rotatably mounted in the heating chamber and having an open mouth to facilitate access of heat to the interior and loading, the mouth .of the mixer being contracted-in size to retain articles by gravity; substantially as described.

' 2'. In heat treating apparatus, a; furnace having a closed heating chamber, an article holdingmixer rotatably mounted in the heating chamber and having an open mouth to facilitate. access of heat to the interior, and a loading chute extending through one end of the furnace into the open mouth ofthe mixer, the mouth of the mixer being contracted infsi'ze-to retain articles by gravity and the loading chute being inclined when the furnace is in normal tially as described. I 3. In heat treating apparatus, a furnace having a closed heating chamber, an article holding mixer rotatably mounted in the heating chamber and having an open mouth to facilitate access of heat to the interior, the axis of the mixer being normally inclined to the horizontal to receivearticles and retain them by gravity; substantially as described. 4. In heat treating. apparatus, a furnace having a closed heating chamber, an article holding mixer rotatably mounted in the heating chamber and having an open mouth to facilitate access of heat to the interior, a loading'chute extending through one end of position; substanthe furnace into the open mouthof the mixer,

to the horizontal to receive articles from the chute and retain them by gravity; substantially as described.

5. In heat treating apparatus, a tilt-able furnace having a closed heating chamber, an article holding mixer rotatably mounted in the heating chamber and having an open mouth to facilitate access of heat tot-he interior, a loading chute extending through one end of the furnace into the open mouth of the mixer at a point above the bottom of the opening, a discharge chute at the mouth oi the mixer, means for tilting the furnace,

the loading chute and the mixer normally having their axes at an inclination to the horizontal to receive articles. by gravity and the tilting of the furnace enabling the arti- (10S to pass below the loading chute into the discharge chute; substantially as described.

6. In heat treating apparatus, a furnace having a closed heating chamber, an article holding mixer rotatably mounted in the heating'chamber and having an open mouth to facilitate access of heat to the interior, the

month of the mixer being contracted in size to retain articles, a loading chute extending through one end of the furnace into the 0 en mouth of the mixer, and a removable p ug for closing the chute; substantially as described.

7. In heat treating ap aratus, a furnace having a closed heating ciamber, an article holding mixer of smaller size than the chamber and spaced from all of the walls thereof to allow access of heat to the sides and ends of the mixer, means in the heating chamber for rotatably supporting the mixer, driving means connected to one end of the mixer and extending through a wall of the heating chamber, the other end ofythe mixer being constantly open to the chamber for access of heat and for loading and having a contracted mouth to retain articles; substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I hereuntoatfix my signature.

ALBERT VUILLEUMIER. 

